The warning was issued after last year’s videotaped beating of Frankie Taylor by Eastpointe officers, in which he nearly lost an eye. The five officers involved have not yet been fired, and the beating is now the subject of a federal lawsuit.
Activists Sam Riddle and Reverend W.J. Rideout will be meeting with Public Safety Director John McNeilance Wednesday afternoon. All hope that a candid discussion will take place regarding what the activists perceive is a pattern of behavior on the part of Eastpointe Police that indicates systemic racism.
Rideout says the meeting is a step in the right direction, but still want the officers involved in the meeting to be fired.
“This is a hateful time in America where people of color are in a constant state of fear regarding inhumane treatment at the hands of racist officers with a badge and gun that are sworn to uphold not violate the law,” Rideout said in a statement. “You can’t beat a dog in America and get away with it. Yet racist cops like the Eastpointe, Michigan police department have made beating Black Americans standard operating procedure with no consequences.”
Riddle says the “travel warning” that the city is too dangerous for Black Americans remains in effect.
